Guilt-Free, Dairy-Free Vegan Chocolate Truffles Recipe

– These vegan truffles are like a million little kisses –

I am in love with this vegan truffle recipe for many reasons besides the fact that they are SO DELICIOUS. They’re also vegan, with no dairy, and they contain no refined sugar. Yes, you can eat five or six of these without the guilt!

You would think that after years of battling the fact that I’m a sugar baby, it would get easier to avoid. Not true. There are entire months where I’m good, and then I’ll spend a week on a Boogie Nights-esque sugar bender, leaving a trail of cookie crumbs and chocolate sprinkles in my wake. (Thankfully I have yet to wake up in the morning to find a layer of cocoa powder from under my nose.)

I’m good at avoiding sweets, but if there’s a dessert right there in front of my face, staring me down, my carefully cultivated self control shatters like the glassy top of a creme brûlée. I’ve even avoided going out to eat with those I know are likely to order a parade of desserts, because there are days I know I won’t be able to turn down a bite. And we all know what one bite turns into.

What’s worse than the physical malaise after eating something sweet is the feeling of weakness, that I let myself down. I am a strong person — I’ve accomplished a lot in my life, surviving back-breakingly difficult situations through sheer force of will. Over the years I’ve weathered crippling illness, divorce, unemployment, and rock-bottom brokeness. I have pulled through all of that, without faltering, and it’s sugar that gets the best of me? I find it utterly ludicrous that sweets, of all things, are my potential downfall.

Chocolate Vegan Truffles Recipe – 100% Dairy-Free!

I’ve dabbled in making goodies that are free of refined sugar, like this super hippy-fied banana bread, and I’m generally really happy with the results. I get my sweet-fix and avoid the refined ick that causes my body to go completely plaid. A few years ago I had a craving for fudge, and I developed the recipe below. As a fudge, this recipe is lovely; thick, rich, lightly sweet with a hint of bitter chocolate. While preparing dessert for a vegan dinner party, I decided to scoop the mix into balls and roll them in cocoa powder. The truffles lasted about ten minutes at the party, and then people were pawing me asking for the recipe.

FYI, these babies are RICH. They’re made primarily of cashews, and nuts have a lot of oil. I’d not recommend eating more than a few truffles, or else you’ll end up feeling like you ate five handfuls of nuts (which, is essentially what you will have done). Also, if you like a little texture, feel free to stir in a handful of cacao nibs before you roll the fudge into balls. If you’re a fan of crunchy sweets, you’ll be in raw dessert heaven.

These rich and creamy - yet guilt-free - vegan truffles actually taste better than their dairy-based cousins, and they last longer! Talk about a classy DIY gift for your love. A super blender will work best here, as the cashews will be ground to a finer texture.

Ingredients

2 cups cashews, soaked overnight in water and fully drained

6 tablespoons agave nectar

1/4 cup coconut oil, at room temperature

1 tablespoon food-grade cocoa butter, at room temperature

1/2 teaspoon finely ground sea salt

1/2 vanilla bean

1/2 cup dairy-free unsweetened cocoa powder + more for coating, if you like

Instructions

In the pitcher of a blender, combine cashews, agave, coconut oil, cocoa butter, and salt. Using a sharp paring knife, slit the vanilla bean down the center and use a spoon to scrape out the tiny beans, adding them to the blender. Blend to a smooth paste. Add cocoa powder and continue to blend until you've got a smooth, velvety texture.

Spoon fudge into a bowl and cover. Place in the refrigerator for 20 minutes to solidify. While the fudge is chilling, line a plate with a piece of parchment. Once the fudge has chilled, use a half-tablespoon-sized cookie scoop to drop teaspoon-sized balls onto the parchment. Place the fudge back in the refrigerator for 10 minutes, and once they're cool, use your hands to roll the fudge into truffle balls. If you like, toss them into a bowl of cocoa powder to coat. Store in the refrigerator, in an airtight container, for up to 2 weeks.

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Comments from other ninjas:

Have you tried palm sugar to help with you love of sweets/difficulties with refined sugar? I’ve found that a blend of palm sugar and something like agave/honey/maple syrup works well and doesn’t make me feel awful. Palm sugar has a glycemic index of 35 (anything below 50 is considered low glycemic index), so it doesn’t make you feel awful.

I happened across this page and wanted to make these though it seems like the instructions have gotten erased, and replaced with the ingredients (a second time). Would love to know if you could fix this as these would be fun to try!

Looks very good! I just recently made my 2nd batch of bittersweet cashew cream truffles based off of Fran Costigan’s vegan recipe, and surprised myself that I was able to make a truffle that was so satisfying and sugar-free. I have been eschewing processed sugar as much as feasible while cooking these days as I’m considered pre-diabetic and simply don’t want to take the leap into actual diabetes.

Hi Trisha, it’s possible, though the texture will be different. Cashews turn very creamy when softened and blended, while almonds hold their shape a lot more. You might have to blend the almonds a lot more to get a similar texture. If you give it a try, let me know how it goes! You could also try peanuts, unless allergies are an issue.

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